Liu Yijun

Liu is considered to be one of China's first shredders, and his style was a defining aspect of Tang Dynasty's influential sound. Andrew Jones, in his writeup for Spin, noted that Liu could "wrench new sounds out of his instrument that have the power to shock with their strange beauty", while Black Panther guitarist Li Tong described Liu's playing as "ferocious" and "full of power". A saying among contemporary Chinese rock circles went "the South has Laozai, the North has Laowu" – with "Laozai" referring to Zhejiang-born guitarist Wu Liqun. Liu's early influences include Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Michael Angelo Batio, Yngwie Malmsteen, Queensrÿche, and King Crimson. He has played with Marty Friedman, Paul Gilbert, and Stu Hamm.

As time went on, Liu's playing became increasingly influenced by Chinese folk styles, which can be heard in both Tang Dynasty's music and his own solo compositions. He often employs a technique that involved him strumming with his thumb and index finger while using the remaining three fingers to pluck the strings – an approach similar to hybrid picking. His solo work heavily utilizes the acoustic guitar, on which he often takes a guqin-inspired approach, and incorporates extended techniques such as tapped harmonics and drumming on the guitar's body. Liu was notably one of the first guitarists in China to make use of a seven-string guitar, which can be heard in his solo work. As early as 1992, Liu expressed a desire to "come up with something that goes beyond the boundaries" through reconnecting with Chinese musical traditions. He stated that "[Modern] Chinese culture has never lived up to the tradition because it's been ruined by all the Western influence. We have to get back to our roots...that's what the mission of [Chinese rock] should be about."

Liu composed the soundtrack for the 2012 drama film Beijing Flickers (Chinese: 有种 ; pinyin: Yǒu Zhǒng ), directed by Zhang Yuan.

On 16 January 2009, Liu announced his second departure from Tang Dynasty due to "personal reasons" and "in cooperation with the idea of music with the band." The same year, he collaborated with Sainkho Namtchylak on an unreleased album.

Liu rejoined Tang Dynasty at the beginning of 2002, sharing lead guitar duties with guitarist Chen Lei. Tang Dynasty's third album, Romantic Knight, was released on 13 June 2008. The album showcased deeper Chinese musical influences than had been on the group's earlier releases. In a 2007 interview with Culture Express, Liu explained that "each member tries to cultivate himself in traditional Chinese culture by reading ancient poetry, playing the guqin, practicing calligraphy, and painting. Without these elements absorbed by the heart and soul, everything would be superficial". The album sold around 50,000 copies within the first three to four months of release.

On 3 July 2004, Liu married Chen Xiaomu, his longtime girlfriend of 11 years.

After leaving Tang Dynasty, Liu remained active as a guitar teacher. His first solo album, 1997's Walking in the Fog (Chinese: 雾中行集 ; pinyin: Wù Zhōng Xíng Jí ), featured appearances from several of his students. The title track and "Dance" (舞) were featured on the compilation China Fire III, released in 1998. Liu released his second solo album, Return Again (Chinese: 再渡归来 ; pinyin: Zài Dù Guī Lái ) in 1999. The music was largely instrumental and folk-oriented. Both albums were released under the moniker "唐朝老五" (pinyin: Tángcháo Lǎo Wǔ ; lit. "Tang Dynasty's Old Five"). In 2000, he helped establish the School of Modern Culture and Art (Chinese: 新时空文化艺术学校 ; pinyin: Xīn Shíkōng Wénhuà Yìshù Xuéxiào ), a contemporary music school in Beijing, where he served as principal. Liu formed a solo band which performed sporadically throughout 2001, but disbanded the group at the end of the year.

However, Liu eventually became dissatisfied with the band's music, feeling that it was "too Westernized" and "lacked originality". While Tang Dynasty were writing their second album, he stopped playing guitar for about six months, leading his bandmates to think Liu had lost his mind. The death of bassist Zhang Ju in May 1995 dealt a severe blow to the band. Liu subsequently developed personal and artistic conflicts with Ding Wu, who asked him to leave Tang Dynasty in August 1996.

Liu took up painting around 1992. He works primarily with pencils, ballpoint pens, and ink brushes. In 2015, he opened his first solo exhibit, which contained over thirty paintings dating back as far as 1993. Liu augmented the exhibition by playing a sounding stone during the event. On working within two mediums – art and music – Liu states "I don't belong to rock and roll and I don't belong to art. I belong to my own nature, and I am satisfied if I can mold it into something beautiful."

Liu joined Tang Dynasty in October 1989. In 1990, the band signed with Magic Stone Records, which launched a multinational marketing campaign to promote the band. Tang Dynasty quickly attracted international attention. In 1992, Spin magazine labeled Liu "hands-down the best guitarist in China" – an assessment often repeated by Chinese rock fans and journalists. The band's self-titled debut album was released internationally in December 1992, and cemented Tang Dynasty's place in history as one of China's most influential rock bands. Liu's "lightning-fast" guitar work was central to the band's sound, which combined Western metal and progressive rock with overt influences from Chinese literary, martial, and musical traditions. Over the next three years, Tang Dynasty toured China, as well as overseas in Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong.

Around 1982 or 1983, Liu left Langfang and moved to Beijing, living in a house with fellow musician Liu Junli. There, he continued to practice guitar, working odd jobs to make ends meet. Liu lived in poverty for over four years, surviving on instant noodles and becoming hospitalized on at least one occasion due to malnutrition.

Liu was born in Tianjin, China. Most sources list his birth year as 1962, although one source specifies his birthday as 10 January 1963. "Lao Wu" was the fifth child in the family, and acquired the nickname early in his youth. The family moved to nearby Langfang in 1971, during the Cultural Revolution. Liu's older sister was involved in an arts-and-literature propaganda team; as a result, he grew up surrounded by musical instruments. He studied the erhu for two years during primary school. At the end of 1976, Liu got his first guitar.